"There's a level of enthusiasm that's palpable and really fun to be part of," said Fletcher.

The best part, working inside the government has given him a much better idea of how academic research can be folded into policy making.

"And I think the more we can connect with people making the decisions, the better decisions that they're going to make," said Fletcher.

That ability to help make a difference is what interest Zheng Huang in the White House fellowship.

"To me, money never mattered as much," said Haung.

He just recently resigned his position at Intel, and is working with some friends on a start-up to build financial connections between the U.S. and China.

"A lot of people talk about what's going to happen with China in the future. Well the thing is, people want the same institutions and freedoms we enjoy here. If we can set up this global system of institutions and freedoms mirrored after our own image, we really help insure prosperity and innovation worldwide," said Huang.

That's a goal worthy of a White House Fellow, but the competition is very stiff. There were 1,000 applicants and Zheng Haung is one of them, and he is one of 108 that have made it to regional finals.

On Friday or early next week, we expect that number will be paired to 32 national finalists. Then, the Commission on White House Fellows will cut that down to anywhere between 11 and 19.